Gov. Patrick, State Officials Visit Robin Hood Elementary School

On Wednesday Governor Deval Patrick signed legislation to help close achievement gaps in reading and get all students to proficiency by the third grade.

Governor Deval Patrick joined state education, legislative and advocacy organization leaders Wednesday at the Robin Hood Elementary School in Stoneham to sign H. 4243, "An Act Relative to Third Grade Reading Proficiency," which seeks to strengthen and streamline literacy initiatives in the Commonwealth, according to a press statement from his office. The Patrick-Murray Administration has set a goal of reading proficiency by the third grade for every child in Massachusetts and this bill will advance efforts to provide students with high quality literacy opportunities starting in their earliest years, read the statement. "We know that a child who can read by third grade has a better chance to succeed in his or her adult life," said Patrick …

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Stoneham's Legislators Voted for 'Three-Strikes' Bill for Violent Crimes

The bill both aims to ensure violent criminals stay behind bars while easing prison overcrowding by reducing drug-offense penalties.

A bill that toughens sentences for violent repeat offenders passed the Senate last Thursday after having been overwhelmingly approved in the House on July 18.  The so-called "three-strikes" law eliminates parole for someone convicted three times of a violent crime, with at least one conviction having carried a minimum three-year prison term. It passed the House with a vote of 139-14. In the Senate, it passed 31-7. The movement to pass the law was fueled, in part, by outrage over two crimes. In one, Woburn police officer Jack Maguire was murdered by a felon. In the other crime more associated with the law, sometimes dubbed "Melissa's Law," 27-year-old Jamaica Plain schoolteacher Melissa Gosule was murdered in 1999 after being raped and …

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Senator: Stoneham Pool to Open July 15

Sen. Katherine Clark announced Friday that Hall Memorial Swimming Pool will open on Sunday, July 15.

Hall Memorial Swimming Pool to Open Sunday, July 15

The Stoneham pool, which was initially wasn't going to be opened by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, is now slated to open this weekend.

Stoneham's Hall Memorial Swimming Pool wasn't expected to be opened by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) this summer, but now the pool is slated to open Sunday, July 15, according to a press statement from Sen. Katherine Clark's office. Open swim hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit the DCR website.

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Senator Clark Announces DCR Will Open Stoneham Pool This Summer

Sen. Katherine Clark visited the Stoneham Board of Selectmen Tuesday night to announce that the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will open Hall Memorial Swimming Pool this season. DCR initially didn't intend to open the pool i

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) have reversed their decision to close Hall Memorial Swimming Pool this summer, according to an announcement by State Sen. Katherine Clark. At Tuesday night's Stoneham Board of Selectmen session at Town Hall, Clark and Laura Richter, a representative with State Rep. Jason Lewis' office, informed the board of the pool's opening. “It will take two weeks minimum to get water and staffing up,” said Clark. The pool is expected to be open in mid-to-late July, according to the senator. State Officials Take Action Legislators learned of the closure following Stoneham Patch's June 22 article. DCR's decision to temporarily close the local pool this summer was due in part to low …

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Dennis O'Hara

6:31 pm on Thursday, June 28, 2012

Bill, I think they are referring to Mystic Valley Elder Services: www.mves.org.   more ›

LETTER: State Legislators Call for DCR to Open Stoneham Pool

A letter from Sen. Katherine Clark and State Reps. Jason Lewis and James Dwyer to Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Edward Lambert about DCR's decision to not open Hall Memorial Swimming Pool this summer.

[Editor's note: The following is a letter Stoneham's state legislators wrote to Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Edward Lambert.] June 22, 2012 Commissioner Lambert Department of Conservation and Recreation 251 Causeway Street Boston, MA 02114 Commissioner Lambert, We are writing to express our disappointment and frustration at the closing of the DCR Hall Memorial Pool in Stoneham for the 2012 summer season. This week, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) opened the doors to 25 pool facilities across the Commonwealth for public use, however, it has unexpectedly come to our attention that the Department of Conservation and Recreation will not be opening the main pool at your Stoneham …

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Stoneham's State Legislators Weigh in on DCR's Decision to Close Pool

Senator Katherine Clark and State Reps. Jason Lewis and Jim Dwyer discuss the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation's decision to not open Hall Memorial Swimming Pool this summer.

Stoneham's state legislators are "disappointed" they weren't notified about Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation's (DCR) decision to not open Hall Memorial Swimming Pool this summer. Legislators learned of the closure following Stoneham Patch's June 22 article. "I am disappointed that DCR unilaterally decided to close the Hall Memorial Swimming Pool, amongst others in the DCR system," wrote State Rep. Jim Dwyer in an email to Stoneham Patch. Why was the Stoneham Pool Closed? The Stoneham swimming pool was closed for a variety of reasons, according to an email to Stoneham Patch from a DCR spokesperson. "The decision to close the Stoneham swimming pool was not made lightly, and we at DCR recognize the affect on the …

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Sen. Clark Announces School Aid Increase for Stoneham

The state budget released by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means includes more than $150,000 in additional funding for Stoneham schools, according to a press statement by Sen. Katherine Clark's office.

Senator Katherine Clark (D-Middlesex and Essex) announced Monday that the state budget released by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means includes more than $150,000 in additional funding for Stoneham schools, according to a press statement. The Senate budget provided additional funding to communities that are both below their target aid number for school funding and less wealthy, according to the statement. As a result, 109 communities received a 25 percent increase toward their target aid level, and Stoneham would receive $155,847. “I am very grateful that the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and specifically Chairman Stephen Brewer, has been so responsive to my concerns about Stoneham’s funding,” said Clark in the statement. “The Senate…

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Area Legislators Call for Stoneham Voters to Approve Middle School Project

Check out their opinion piece on the estimated $40 million building project.

[Editor's note: The following opinion piece is from the offices of Sen. Katherine Clark and State Reps. Jason Lewis and James Dwyer.] Next week Stoneham residents have a unique opportunity to support a partnership between the town and the state that will strengthen the community and its school system for years to come.  On April 3, during the municipal elections, we encourage you to vote in favor of the debt exclusion override that will fund Stoneham’s share of the construction cost to build a new middle school.  The middle school project has been in development for many years and represents the hard work and dedication of many members of the Stoneham community. The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) has worked closely with the…

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Sen. Clark Takes Vote on Legislation to Combat Prescription Drug Abuse

Sen. Katherine Clark discusses the dangers of pain killers and the bill set to go before the House of Representatives.

[Editor's note: The information below was issued in a press statement from the Office of Sen. Katherine Clark.] With the abuse of prescription pain killers having reached epidemic levels in Massachusetts, the Senate on Thursday unanimously passed legislation for strict oversight of the drugs, according to a press statement issued by Sen. Katherine Clark's Office. The bill will reduce the excess supply of pills and require physician registration in the state’s Prescription Monitoring Program to prevent patients from “doctor shopping” for highly addictive medications such as OxyContin and Vicodin. “The widespread use of these highly additive prescription drugs is destroying lives and devastating families throughout our communities,” Clark …

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